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*Feakle’s Shane McGrath. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
FEAKLE are tired of “hard luck stories” and the East Clare club are targeting a return to the knockout stages of the TUS Clare SHC for the first time since 2020.
It’s all of thirty five years since Feakle won the last of their six Clare senior hurling championship titles and for a club with such a proud hurling history, that is a very long time.
In recent years they have threatened a breakthrough on a number of occasions, not least when they won the senior league (Clare Cup) title two seasons ago.
In the recently concluded Clare Cup campaign, they just missed out on a place in the play offs having recovered from a poor start in that campaign when they lost their opening three games.
Being without county panellists in the league proved costly but the addition of Clare’s first choice goalkeeper Eibhear Quilligan and Adam Hogan off the back of his debut season with the county seniors gives them a big boost ahead of their championship opener against last year’s beaten finalists Éire Óg.
Ger Conway is in his first season as team manager and his backroom team includes Ciaran Callinan from Ardrahan in Galway as the team coach.
Selectors Stephen Moloney and Donie O’Grady are proud Feakle men who played for many years with the club and they will expect a committed performance from this year’s team
“We face last year’s beaten finalists Éire Óg in the first round and that is a big undertaking. They were in hard luck last year, Physically they are very strong and they have lots of experience with a big number of players who have been part of the county senior hurling and football teams”, team manager Conway explained.
“Our target is to get out of the group and get to the quarter final. There is a while since we got there. We have had enough hard luck stories. We have trained hard and prepared well. We started poorly in the league, but we had little hurling done, but the lads got to grips with it later one”, the manager added.
Shane McGrath has been one of the leading players in the club scene in Clare and his form has always been central to positive outcomes for Feakle.
Oisin Donnellan, this year’s club captain, Martin Daly, Eoin Tuohy, Gary Guilfoyle, Steven Conway, Con Smyth and Evan McMahon are others who have been ever present in the side which returned to senior ranks after winning the intermediate title in 2018.
That they face a serious test in the opening round is without question and they will have to be at their best if they are to limit the contributions expected from Shane O’Donnell and David Reidy to mention some.
Feakle have shown over the years that they are up for a challenge so it’s not surprising that hurling followers across the county believe they will make life difficult for the Ennis side on Saturday afternoon in Newmarket-on-Fergus.
Hurling fans expect that this will be one of the most exciting games in this weekend’s fixtures programme and while Éire Óg will carry the favourites tag a Feakle victory would not be a major surprise.
Feakle
Management: Ger Conway (Manager); Ciaran Callinan (coach) Stephen Moloney, Donie O’Grady (selectors); Brid Canny (Medic).
Captain: Oisin Donnellan
Key Player: Shane McGrath
One to Watch: Adam Hogan
Fresh Blood: Eoghan Daly
Departure Gate: Austin McMahon and James Noonan (both travelling), Ger Hanrahan.
Titles won: 6
Last season’s run: Failed to get out of their group, got to senior B final
Schedule:
Round 1 v Éire Óg
Round 2 v Clarecastle
Round 3 v Broadford
